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dintd tang patent @ittica E. SKINNER, `OF MADISON, WISCONSIN.

Letters Patent No. 100,200, daad Fama/ry 22, 1ero.

IMPnovnMENT IN HARVESTER-RAKES.

The Schedule referred. to in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

erence being had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a top plan view of a harvester, showing my improvements applied thereto;

j Figure 2 is an end elevation of the same; andl Figure 3 is a detached view of the rake-arm and its connections.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in ythe several figures of the drawings.

My invention relates to harvester-rakes, and has for its object to render them more eiicient in theirv operation.

To this end it consists,'iirst, of an adjl ust-able track, in combination with a reciprocating rake and its arm, for the purpose of regulating the position and inclination of the rake teeth with relation to the apron of the machine. i

It also consists in the combination of the weight applied to the rakev and the slotted sleeve upon the rake-arm, so that, while the rake is being moved back and forth upon the machine, it shall also be capable of being elevated or thrown down upon the apron, and, whenelevated, prevented from being thrown too far back by the action of the weight.

In the accompanying drawings-'- A is the harvester-frame mounted upon the wheels B B', and provided with the apron C in the usual manner.

D is the angular rake-arm, whose inner end is provided'with a ball, a, shown in lig. 3, which is held be- .tween two hemispherical cases, b b, attached to the frame. l

The two proximate edges of the cases b b are cnt away upon one side to permit the lateral. movement of the rake-arm.

By this construction a universal joint is formed, which permits the rake-arm to rotate while it is being moved forward and back over the machine.

E-is the rake head iirmly secured to the arm D, as shown.

F' is a curved track situated at'the. inner side of the apron, for the purpose of supporting and guiding the rake in its movements.

This track is made adjustable, by mea-ns of set-screws or by other proper-means, in the slotted standards d d afixed to the frame. By the adjustabilityiof the track the position of the rake is determined with ref- A erenee to the apron, so that it shall rest level or even.

ly upon the apron, and also compensate for the wear of the rake-teeth. By this. means also the angle` which the rake-teeth presents to the platfprm when passing over it, may be. adjusted as desired -without affecting theoperative parts of the rake.

This adjustment is necessary to permit ofthe rake- `lteeth being thrown-into the requisite posit-ion with relation to the cutter-bar for properly'forming a gavel.

Motion is communicated to the rake and its .armfrom the driving-wheel B', through the medium'of the gear-wheels GG', crank-shaft H, and jointed connecting-rods I I', as shown.

The inner end of the crank-shaft is provided -with aclutch, which isoperated by the bell-crank J, to throw the mechanism for operating the rake in and out of gear l K is a cam firmly secured to the rake-arm D, and is adapted to throw theI rake up and down in the following manner:

The rake, being elevated and moving across the machine, is thrown down upon the apron to rake the grain therefrom, by the cam K striking against the roller g attached to the slotted `standard d which supports the curved track. After moving across the apron to form the gavel, the rake is again elevated by i the cam K coming in contact with the roller g upon the slotted standard d'. By this construction the rollers lying in the path of the camact upon the latter, and alternately elevate and depress. the rake as the latter moves across the apron.

L is a weight attached to the rake-head orfits arm in front of the center of the same, so that when the rake is carrying the cnt grain o' the apron it shall be held irmly in the grain.

When the rake is raised by the action of the cam upon the roller d', the weight holds it in an elevated position to prevent its falling down upon the grain until the cam shall come in contact with the roller d. Owing to this arrangement the rake is helm securely inan elevated or depressed position.

Placed upon the rake-arm between the cam K and universal joint is a sleeve, M, which is also pivoted to the connecting-rod'I, by which the rake is moved back and forth across the-machine.

vThe sleeve is slotted upon one side,'and through the slot projects la pin, fi, affixed to the rake-arm.` This pin, coming in contact with the lower end of the slot when the rake is elevated, preventsthe latter from tipping back too far under the action of t-he weight L. It also prevents the lateral play of the sleeve upon the lakearm.

By my improvements harvesterA-rakes are rendered much more eflcient than they have been heretofore.

Having thus described my invention,

sleeve M with the rake and its arm, for the purpose specified.

3. In combination with the harvester-rake E I), the universal joint and adjustable track F, for the purpose specified.

' What I cla-im as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The adjustable segmental guide-track F, in combnation with the bent-armed-reciproeating rake E D, foi' the purpose of regulating the position and inelin-` ation of the rake-teeth with relation to the apron of Nlftnesses: E. W. SKINNER. the machine, substantially as described. CHANDLER l?. CHABMAN,

2. The combination of the weight L and slotted A HENRY HOWARTH. 

